Buckle down and learn about cobblers, crisps and grunts
What’s the difference between a betty and a buckle, a cobbler and a crisp or a grunt and a fool?
Those are just a few of nearly a dozen names Americans have come up with for homey fruit desserts that are topped with pastry, cake batter or a crumbly streusel dough.
While the ingredients may vary slightly, these treats do share a few commonalities: They are easier to make than pie, the fruit is interchangeable, depending on what’s in season, and they usually taste best when served slightly warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.
Besides being a great dessert, they are good for breakfast, too, maybe minus the ice cream.
Here’s a primer on what’s what:
n Betty — A pudding-like dessert that originated during Colonial times. It is made with sweetened fruit and topped with buttered breadcrumbs. Apple Brown Betty is the most common variation.
n Buckle — A single-layer cake made with fruit, usually blueberries. Sometimes the fruit is mixed into the batter while other recipes call for the fruit to be sprinkled on top before baking.
n Clafouti — Typically made with cherries, this dessert comes from the French countryside. The fruit is covered with a light batter before baking. Sometimes it is more cake-like, other times it is similar to pudding.
n Cobbler — A deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a soft biscuit dough that resembles cobblestones when baked.
n Crisp — Sweetened fruit topped with a loose crumb topping. Toppings ingredients vary, but they can include flour, oatmeal, breadcrumbs, crumbled cookies or graham crackers.
n Crumble — The British version of a crisp.
n Duff — Popular in England and Scotland, this steamed dessert is a mixture of dried fruit, spices, flour and eggs. Sometimes called a roly poly.
n Fool — An old English dessert, traditionally made with gooseberries. The fruit is cooked, pureed, strained and then folded into whipped cream.
n Grunt — This dumpling-like pudding is made by stewing fruit on top of the stove and covering it with rolled biscuit dough. It came about when the early colonists tried to make their traditional English steamed pudding with primitive cooking equipment. In Massachusetts, it was called a grunt, a reference to the sound the berries make as they cook. In Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island, it was known as a slump.
n Pandowdy — A deep-dish dessert, usually made with fruit, butter, spices and molasses or brown sugar, topped with a piecrust or biscuit crust. The name likely comes from its plain, or “dowdy,” appearance.
n Roly Poly — Sailors supposedly made this dessert by rolling fruit in a pastry, wrapping it in cheesecloth and steaming it. Sometimes called a duff.
(Sources: www.whatscookingamerica.net; “The New Food Lover’s Companion” by Sharon Tyler Herbst; Debbi Fields’ “Great American Desserts”; and “In Pursuit of Flavor,” by Edna Lewis.)
Kathy Stephenson can be contacted at kathys@sltrib.com.
RECIPES
Apple Brown Betty
11/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups (1/4-inch) bread cubes
2 tablespoons melted butter
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 pounds large, firm apples peeled, cored and sliced into fairly thick wedges
2 to 4 tablespoons cold water, or more, depending on freshness of apples
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the nutmeg and sugar. Set 2 tablespoons aside.
Put the bread cubes in a bowl and toss with the rest of the sugar mixture, the melted butter and the lemon rind.
Line the bottom of a heavy 11/2-quart casserole with 1 cup of the bread cubes. Layer half the apples over the bread and top with a 1/2 cup of the bread cubes. Layer the rest of the apples in the casserole and sprinkle with water. Cover with the rest of the bread cubes and evenly sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top.
Put the lid on the casserole or cover tightly with foil. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until apples are tender and the topping is brown.
Brown bettys should be served still warm. If they are allowed to get too cool, they will collapse a little.
Makes 4 servings.
French bread makes good cubes, but any day-old, firm white bread will do. Whatever kind of bread is used, leave it out on the counter to dry for several hours before cutting into cubes.
McIntosh apples are best for this recipe, but any slightly tart apple will work.
— “In Pursuit of Flavor,” by Edna Lewis (Alfred A. Knopf)
Apricot Pandowdy
11/2 pounds fresh apricots, quartered lengthwise and pitted
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (10-inch) pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
1 tablespoon milk
Put oven rack in the middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss apricots with cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar until coated. Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy frying pan over medium heat until foam subsides, then stir in apricot mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then immediately transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
Fold pie dough into quarters and trim 1 inch from rounded edge. Unfold (trimmed round should be 8 inches in diameter) and put on top of fruit. Brush pastry with milk and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar.
Bake until apricot filling is bubbling and crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings.
— Gourmet, June 2005
Blackberry Cobbler
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
11/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened whole blackberries (if frozen, thawed and well-drained)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in 9-by-13-inch baking dish and put in the oven to melt.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and vanilla until combined. Remove the hot baking dish from the oven and immediately pour batter into it. Spoon blackberries evenly over batter. Return hot dish to oven and bake 40 to 45 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
— Debbi Fields’ “Great American Desserts”
Bing Cherry Clafouti
2 cups Bing cherries, washed and pitted, or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen Bing cherries, thawed in a colander
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
21/4 cups whole milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Kirsch (cherry liqueur), optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Place cherries in the bottom of the pan, distributing evenly.
In a medium bowl, mix flour and sugar. Whisk in the milk, mixing until combined. Add eggs, vanilla, Kirsch (if using), nutmeg and orange zest. Whisk until well-combined. Pour all of the batter over the top of the cherries in the skillet. Dot the top with butter.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the mixture is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
— “The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook,” by Julie Kramis Hearne and Sharon Kramis (Sasquatch Books, $16.95)